We're excited to be joined today by one of the main event contestants in the "TOE TO TOE Canelo vs. Angulo" pay-per-view
event Saturday, March 8. On today's call is Alfredo Angulo, former WBO
Interim Junior Middleweight World Champion; also, Virgil Hunter,
Alfredo's trainer and Golden Boy Promotions matchmaker Eric Gomez to
translate.

And
of course now to make further introductions and talk a little bit more
about the show is Richard Schaefer, Chief Executive Officer of Golden
Boy Promotions.

Richard Schaefer

This is going to be the first pay-per-view of the year here in the United States, and it is an all action card, it is "TOE TO TOE."

I
was looking this morning again at the card, and even the non-televised
fights I think are just great match ups and exciting fights. It's
definitely one of those cards where you want to be early at the MGM
Grand Garden Arena and see all these fights. I saw Jo Jo Diaz is going
to be on there, Avery Gibson at 8-0 is going to be on; Francisco Vargas
against Abner Cotto, what a great match up that is; the recent signing
of Will Tomlinson from Australia, Junior Lightweight, 21-0, against
Jerry Belmontes; and then of course Jorge Linares against Nihito
Arakawa. Some of those fights will be on the SHOWTIME preview, so
they'll be available to a large audience as a lead-in to the
pay-per-view.

And
then you get to the SHOWTIME PPV card with Carlos Molina and Jermall
Charlo for the IBF Junior Middleweight World Championship; you have Omar
Figueroa against Ricardo Alvarez for a WBC Lightweight World
Championship, and then you have Leo Santa Cruz against Cristian Mijares
for the WBC Super Bantamweight World Championship. I mean, it's just an
unbelievable night of boxing and I think it will be very well received
by the pay-per-view audience here in the United States. It is
distributed internationally as well, of course, and if the ticket sales
are an indication I think this will be a home run. We have over 12,000
tickets sold. Some of the categories are sold out, but there are still
tickets available, $600, $400, $200, $150, and I do expect a complete
sell out at the MGM Grand.

I
want to thank our colleagues at MGM. I want to thank our sponsors as
well, Corona, AT&T, and Casamigos Tequila. The Carlos Molina-Jermall
Charlo fight is promoted in association with Warriors Boxing. The
fight of course is going to be distributed live on SHOWTIME PPV
beginning at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 6:00 p.m. Pacific, and it can be heard
in Spanish as well using a secondary audio programming.

So,
without any further ado I'd like to thank Virgil, and I'd like to
thank Alfredo Angulo as well, for making themselves available today.
I've got an update from camp, and I hear Alfredo is looking
sensational. This is exactly the kind of fight one gets up for; where
you will see without any question the best Alfredo Angulo we have seen.
And we know Alfredo Angulo, with a record of 22 wins, 2 losses, and 18
KO's, when Alfredo is at his best it's very, very difficult for anyone
to beat him. So he not only has heart but he has that iron will to win.

The
man who gets him in shape to get him ready is the 2011 Boxing Writers
of America Trainer of the Year, Virgil Hunter, who is obviously one of
the most respected trainers in the world and trains many, many stars,
including of course Andre Ward and Amir Khan. So, I know he's very
confident in Alfredo, and I'd like to turn it over now to Virgil to make
some opening comments and talk maybe a little bit about training camp.

Virgil Hunter

I
agree with Richard, Alfredo is very much up for this fight and into
this fight. That's not to say he wasn't in any other bouts that he did,
but we understand the magnitude of this opportunity and we intend to
make the most of it.

I'm
very pleased with the camp situation. We're fortunate to have several
of the guys in camp doing mini camps and conditioning, and because of
that we're able to provide Alfredo with a lot of different looks in
sparring, which I feel complements the style that he has and he has the
opportunity to pick up on various things that the styles offer.

Everything's
going great, no injuries, no setbacks, we're right on schedule, we'll
be on target on everything, and you're going to have a very determined
fighter now, Alfredo Angulo, on March 8, and it's going to be a fight
that I don't think the world, anybody in the boxing world should want to
miss. I think everybody should tune in.

R. Schaefer

You
mentioned the word "opportunity" and I agree with you, I think in
boxing a lot of it has to do with opportunity. There are a lot of
talented fighters, there are a lot of hungry fighters, but it is about
creating these opportunities, and when Alfredo talked to me and really
wanted a fight with Canelo, obviously there are a lot of fighters out
there who would love to have this fight because Canelo is one of the
superstars of the sport. When you are the kind of fighter like Alfredo
is, a warrior, always looking for the biggest and best challenges, then
that is exactly what he wants.

For
us here at Golden Boy I like to get these kinds of opportunities and
then it is up to Alfredo to have the right motivation, we know he has
the talent and we know he has the desire to get up and show on March 8
who is the best 154 pounder. With Alfredo, I got to know him a bit
outside of the ring as well. He truly is one of the kindest and nicest
people outside of the ring I have ever met, and a stark contrast with
the person in the ring, where he is just a vicious warrior and always on
the attack, and I think that's why he has so many fans all around the
world. When Angulo fights, people watch, and there's going to be no
exception on March 8.

It
is a pleasure now for me to introduce to you one of the most exciting
fighters, his battle in 2011 with James Kirkland was a candidate for
Fight of the Year. He is originally from Mexicali, Baja California,
fighting now out of Los Angeles, record of 22-2 and 18 KO's, Alfredo "El
Perro" Angulo.

Alfredo Angulo

Hi,
guys. I really appreciate everybody being here and I really appreciate
the opportunity for this conference call. Thank you so much to SHOWTIME
and Golden Boy for this opportunity, it's very exciting to be on this
pay-per-view. Thank you so much for this opportunity, I really
appreciate it, and I have been working really hard for this fight and
will put on a really great fight for the fans.

R. Schaefer

OK,
gracias, Alfredo. We are going to open it now to the media for
questions; if you have any questions for Alfredo or for Virgil Hunter,
they're both on the line.

Q

Richard
you talked about opportunity for Alfredo, obviously he's getting some
special treatment and respect being on this call by himself, it's a
great opportunity for him, but can you characterize what happens if he
wins and what happens if he loses.

R. Schaefer

Well,
I think you don't just get the opportunity, you earn the opportunity,
and I think Alfredo has earned that in the way he fought and the way he
fights. Boxing has really moved away, I think, particularly in the last
couple of years or so, where excitement, win or lose, is being more
rewarded than it used to be and fighters don't really have to go back in
the line if they lose in an exciting fashion, and sometimes an exciting
loss these days is, frankly, more valuable than a boring win. I will
give you an example, like a Rigondeaux, and I don't mean to knock in any
way or shape Rigondeaux, I respect him, I admire his talent, he's one
of the best fighters in my opinion, but crowds like to be entertained,
and Alfredo has that style. So I think he has earned this through his
hard work and dedication to the sport, and of course a win, nobody wants
to lose, but you know, Alfredo is must-see TV, and I don't think
anything changes in that regard.

Now,
if you beat somebody like Canelo and you are in the 154-pound weight
class, there are of course many big names and opportunities out there,
and I don't need to tell you who the biggest name is, we all know that,
that of course is Floyd Mayweather. So I am not going to go and make
any statements or promises and so on now, 'if you win you're going to
get Floyd or so,' but there are other big names there whether it's
Miguel Cotto or so on, so the door certainly would open and it would
lead to mega-fights. I think Alfredo knows that, but Alfredo is a
veteran, and he was actually telling me that at the L.A. press
conference, he's not thinking ahead of that. His only task at hand is
Canelo Alvarez, and I think Alfredo would be foolish, which I know he is
not, to look past Canelo Alvarez. So, his focus is on Canelo and let's
see what happens.

Q

I
talked to Andre Ward yesterday and he had some really specific things
to say about Angulo's punch placement and his pursuit, his ability to
cut off the ring. He also said that he anticipated sparring with
Alfredo for a second time last night. What do you take from Andre's
comments and also did that sparring session take place again last night
and what have you gained from it.

A. Angulo

First
of all I'm not sure if I'm going to be boxing any more with Andre or
not, it's not up to me, but the times that I did box with him, he's a
very good fighter. He's got a lot of talent, experience, and he's got a
lot of qualities that are superior to Canelo. So I know that it's
helping me, and to be able to be in that ring with Andre Ward, it's a
plus for me and it's a positive. I'm very grateful to him for the work,
for the nice comments, because he knows how important this fight is to
me.

Q

Alfredo,
this is a huge opportunity, as Richard has said, and you realize it.
What is at stake for you, given the fact that you were chosen over some
pretty tough competition for this fight, and are you going to sell out
and really just probably fight your best, hardest fight ever?

A. Angulo

Yes,
you know, I'm very grateful. I want to thank, once again, Richard
Schaefer and the entire team at Golden Boy Promotions for this
opportunity, for having the confidence in me so that I can be in this
kind of fight. But at the same time I feel that I won my spot, I won my
spot through my hard work and my style of fighting. I've always given
100 percent up in that ring, and I've given it my all, so I kind of feel
that I won my spot, and there's a reason why I'm in this fight. This
is a very, very big opportunity for me and I want to take full
advantage.

Q

Virgil,
you said there have been no injuries, obviously, he suffered an eye
injury in the last fight, can you characterize that? And also, what are
the benefits that you see in him having sparred with guys like Amir
Khan, who's smaller and quicker, and obviously Andre Ward, who's bigger
and the complete package?

V. Hunter

Just
to the injuries on his eye, other than swelling, wasn't what people
assumed it was, and it was unfortunate because the diagnosis that night
was done in the ring before he even stepped out, and it wasn't by a
doctor it was speculation by someone else. The injury was definitely an
abrasion on the cornea, what the ophthalmologist felt was pretty much
like a poke or something like that, and we'll leave it at that.

The
sparring with the different guys is that I never changed his style
because that's him, and I wanted him to naturally gravitate towards
other things that would mesh with his style, and by doing that and
showing him different looks, different styles of boxing. Then, as he
and I talked about when he was training in Los Angeles and pretty much
sparring against one type of style, he stays locked in that style, but
now because he's been exposed to different styles, different looks, very
fast and quick styles, he's been picking up and adapting to these
things naturally and naturally integrating them into his style without
being force fed, without being mind fed. It's come along naturally
through his participation and observation. So that to me was the
benefit and the purpose of different looks and styles. But we do also
have sparring partners in camp simulating the style of Canelo also.

Q

Alfredo,
do you think you can win the fight if it goes the distance, or do you
feel you have to stop Canelo in order to get the victory?

Are
you driven by your underdog status? You seem to almost be, if you win
this it's definitely kind of a Rocky story come to life. Does that fact
drive you at all, or do you just try to keep emotion out of it?

A. Angulo

You
know, I really don't think about that. I really don't care. I've been
the underdog most of my career, I've gone against the current and I
just do my job and I work hard. But I really don't think about that.

R. Schaefer

I
just want to add to that, last I checked his nickname is actually not
the underdog, it's "El Perro," the dog. He is not the underdog. He is
the dog.

Q

Virgil, does Canelo's power and style concern you at all?

V. Hunter

Of
course his style concerns me. Anybody that Alfredo, or any other
fighter in the stable, who he goes up against concerns me. He's a good
fighter. He's proven that. And he's not anybody to be playing with in
the ring, so of course his style concerns me.

Q

At
the last fight with Canelo and Floyd you made a comment that you felt
that maybe Saul didn't have enough experience to be able to beat Floyd.
In this fight do you feel that you have the experience to beat Saul?

A. Angulo

I've
been in the ring with good fighters, talented fighters. I also have an
extensive amateur background, so I have plenty of experience. But, you
know, Canelo's also been getting better, he's been getting better and
he's had some good experience in the last few years, so that's what's
going to make this fight very interesting. It's going to be an
interesting fight, and we'll see what happens.

Q

There's
obviously other fighters that were being mentioned as possible
opponents for Canelo, but for some reason you were chosen. Why do you
think you were chosen?

A. Angulo

I
think the reason that Canelo decided to fight against me is because
he's a smart fighter and he knows that he wanted to prove to his fans
that he's ready to fight a good fighter, a fighter that's very strong,
and most importantly, a fighter that makes exciting fights. I know
that I've proven throughout my career that I always give exciting
fights, and I think that's what we're going to do. We're going to make a
good show and we're going to put on an exciting fight.

Q

Virgil,
how difficult is it to train a fighter that's very, very aggressive and
to get him to be disciplined and to have other attributes, possibly
defensive attributes?

V. Hunter

Alfredo's
not a difficult fighter to train. The difficult fighter to train is
the one who doesn't want to train, that's the difficult one. So he's
not a difficult fighter to train. My intention, it's obvious, is that I
don't teach the style that Alfredo was taught, but I believe that if
you're going to be a good coach that you should subject yourself to the
various styles that these champions possess so you can learn. Two years
from now I might have another Alfredo and I'll know even more what to
do. Defense is something that I do very well, and within his style we
continue to work on this, and I see the improvement daily.

So,
it's a pleasure working with him, and I wouldn't have it any other way,
because he gives it his all, he doesn't play around, he doesn't kid
around, and any fight that he goes in he's in that fight. He got an
opportunity to win that fight and proved in his last outing (Erislandy
Lara) against what some consider the best 154 pounder in the world, and
certainly was the best amateur that ever existed, so going into a fight
with Alfredo Angulo I'm always going to go in confident because I know
he's always going to have an opportunity to win that fight.

Q

Alfredo,
in your last fight against Lara, it was a tough, competitive fight, it
was back-and-forth, you knocked him down twice. I'm just curious from
your perspective what did you take out of that performance, and do you
have any regrets at all about the way that fight ended?

A. Angulo

I
learned plenty in that fight. But most importantly I feel that I
demonstrated that I can adapt to any style and I can fight pretty much
any style boxer. I'm working hard every day with Virgil, I'm learning
every day, and that's the most important thing, that I'm learning and
I'm ready to put on a good show, all the time.

Q

Alfredo,
since you faced a southpaw last time out and someone that has a Cuban
amateur background that Lara has, are you looking forward to facing
someone like Saul Alvarez who is the complete style contrast, a guy that
will go out there and give you a war?

A. Angulo

You
know, basically, I'm happy to fight. That's my job, I'm supposed to be
fighting, and I'm happy to fight, and it's my job to figure out styles.
I'm just glad that I have Virgil on my side to help me construct a game
plan and figure out the styles. I am happy that I'm facing another
Mexican, because as all the fans know, everybody knows when two Mexicans
get in the ring it's a guaranteed show, it's a guaranteed exciting
show. And March 8, don't expect anything different.

Q

There's
no title on the line in this fight against Saul Alvarez, but being the
fact that he had the biggest fight ever with Mayweather in his last
fight do you see this as a title fight, just being on this big grand
stage and fighting someone that is well known, like Saul Alvarez?

A. Angulo

You
know, I pretty much consider all my fights like world title fights.
Yes, I know that in this fight it's not going to be for a title, but my
motivation, my world title is the fans, winning over the fans, making
sure that they're happy with my performance. That's my motivation, and I
consider that kind of like winning a world title if they're happy.

Q

What
do you consider the most dangerous attribute that Canelo has that he's
going to bring to the fight? And how do you classify him, what level do
you see him and how do you classify yourself?

A. Angulo

Canelo
has gained a lot of experience the last couple of years, but he's a
fighter that has fast hands and he can also box if he wants to, so those
are maybe some of the attributes, some of the things that I have to
look out for. As far as myself, categorizing myself, I really can't
say. I don't pay attention to that. All I do is fight, and I let my
fighting do the talking for me. Canelo knows that I'm a good fighter,
and that's basically all I can say.

Q

Alfredo,
Canelo's coming off of a loss just like you are. Whose loss was more
valuable in experience to the defeated fighter and why?

A. Angulo

Both
fights were very, very different. Canelo is coming off a loss to Floyd
Mayweather, the pound for pound No. 1 fighter in the world, and in that
fight he hardly touched him. My fight, I'm coming off a loss to one of
the best fighters in the world, and that is Erislandy Lara, and in a
fight that arguably I was winning. It was a very, very entertaining
fight, a very exciting fight, and I was possibly winning the fight. So,
both fights were very, very different.

Q

Alfredo,
have you noticed the recent trend of A-side Golden Boy boxers getting
upset by rugged Latino fighters in need of career defining wins; for
example, Maidana did it against Broner, Jhonny Gonzalez beat Abner Mares
and Victor Ortiz was knocked out by Luis Collazo. What do you think
about that?

A. Angulo

Yes,
yes, I have noticed. But that's the beautiful thing about boxing, it
goes to show that you can be the best fighter in the world but if you
don't train and you let your guard down, anybody can come and beat you.
That's why you've got to be ready at every turn and you have to train
hard.

Q

Would
you continue this trend, Alfredo, and upset Golden Boy's Canelo to earn
your signature victory? And if you win, what would you like to do
next, Floyd Mayweather sweepstakes perhaps?

A. Angulo

God
willing, it's going to be that way. That's what I want, that's what
I'm working for, and it will happen that way. As far as who I want to
fight next, I'm not thinking about that. I'm just thinking about Canelo
Alvarez right now, that's on my mind, and it's not up to me. It's up
to my team. It's up to Golden Boy, Richard Schaefer, to decide who I'll
fight next. I'm not worrying about that. The most important thing for
me right now is Canelo Alvarez.

Q

You
spoke very respectfully of Lara, Alfredo. He beat you and he beat
Austin Trout, can he beat Floyd Mayweather? How good is he?

A. Angulo

Well,
you know I really can't say. They both have very similar styles. I
think if they ever fought each other, I know for sure it will be a
boring fight because all they do is they worry about their defense, or
they try to do a lot of defense, or they turn their backs a lot, so I
know that for sure. I know that it would be a boring fight if they ever
fought each other.

R. Schaefer

All
right, I'd like to thank Virgil and Alfredo to be on the call. I'd
like to thank all the media members for their support of this great top
to bottom, "TOE TO TOE: Canelo vs. Angulo" and all the other great
fights.

Just
a few fight week activity updates, we're going to have, on Sunday,
March 2, at Olvera Street in Los Angeles a fan rally sending off the
fighters. We have Canelo there, Alfredo there, Leo Santa Cruz, Cristian
Mijares, Omar Figueroa and Ricardo Alvarez. On Tuesday, March 4 is the
official arrival at the MGM in the afternoon, starting at 1:00, of all
the fighters.

On
Wednesday it's going to be an open workout in the MGM Grand lobby, open
to the public, with all the fighters participating. Then on Thursday
March 6 we have the final press conference for the full card. On Friday
of course is the weigh in, and then on Saturday it's Fight Night, March
8t, live from the MGM Grand. Make sure you tell your readers
or listeners that tickets are still available, we do anticipate a sell
out, and I'm excited to see you all in Las Vegas on March 8h. Thank you very much.

"TOE TO TOE: Canelo vs. Angulo," a
12-round super welterweight fight taking place Saturday, March 8 at the
MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, is promoted by Golden Boy
Promotions and Canelo Promotions and sponsored by Corona, AT&T and
Casamigos Tequila. In world title fights on the undercard, Two-Division
World Champion Leo "Terremoto" Santa Cruz (27-0-1, 15 KO's) will defend
his WBC Super Bantamweight World Title against former Two-Time World
Champion Cristian "El Diamante" Mijares (49-7-2, 24 KO's); exciting
young star Omar "Panterita'' Figueroa (24-0-1, 17 KO's) will risk his
WBC Lightweight Title against Canelo's brother Ricardo "Dinamita"
Alvarez (23-2-3, 14 KO's) and "King" Carlos Molina (22-5-2, 6 KO's) will
defend his IBF Junior Middleweight Championship against undefeated
Jermall Charlo (17-0, 13 KO's). Carlos Molina vs. Jermall Charlo is
presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Warriors Boxing.
This event will be produced and distributed live by SHOWTIME PPV
beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The event can be heard in Spanish
using secondary audio programming (SAP). "TOE TO TOE: Canelo vs.
Angulo" will be broadcast on over 400 select movie theaters across the
country.

Tickets
are on sale now and are priced at $600, $400, $200, $100, $50 and $25,
not including applicable service charges and taxes, with a total ticket
limit of 10 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card,
call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for
purchase at www.mgmgrand.com orwww.ticketmaster.com. Movie theater tickets are available at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com.

DHB truly offers more content daily than any other boxing resource!
For much more videos and boxing news, GET THE REAL BITE by visiting our home page here at Doghouse Boxing.